So, this is the last chapter - the epilogue. Hope you enjoyed my story!

Oh yeah - if a decent amount of people want an M-rated portrayal of their wedding night, I'd be happy to throw one on in a 24th chapter. (:

Well, enjoy!

Sammy's POV:

I stood on our balcony, looking out at the stars, gripping the railing tightly as I stared out at the swirling lights in the sky. So this is what Vincent was thinking, I realized. This scene, this unnatural beauty, was the inspiration for his artwork.

"A penny for your thoughts, my love?" Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into the warm curve of his body. I smiled, and stretched up to gently kiss the jaw that rested on my head.

"I was thinking about this. About how beautiful it is." I didn't bother to gesture at what I was pointing at: for one, we were on the same wavelength so much that he would already know what I was talking about. For two, my arms were laid upon his strong hands, which gently brushed my abdomen. The swell was just beginning to show - our third child, Lucy.

"Are the boys asleep?" I murmured gently, kissing further down his jaw. I turned around in the protective cage of his arms, circling my arms around his neck.

"Yeah, I checked." He bent down to kiss my mouth, capturing it in an almost-heated kiss, one that he turned into a sweet, sentimental gesture in a quick, experienced way.

"Mmm." I kissed him again, before leaving his arms to walk over to the four-person bench swing on the patio.

"Sit?" I asked, patting the spot next to me. He sat, wrapping both arms around me and kicking the ground lightly to start us swinging. I curled into his side, closing my eyes in pure happiness. Tim's warmth and the cooling summer breeze was the perfect combination, and I smiled against his skin. He kissed my forehead gently.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Sammy. I love you so much." he murmured.

"I love you too, honey. My life without you is nothing." At my words, he pulled me in for another long kiss.

"You know, Sam," he murmured when we pulled back, twirling a strand of my hair around his fingers. I tightened my fingers, in his own hair, in response. "Have you ever wondered what our lives would have been like if you hadn't told Belt that you admired me? Or if he hadn't called me over? Or, if I'd been to chicken to ask you out?"

I giggled. "I don't even think about the first two, I can't imagine a life without you anymore." I said honestly. "But for the last one - the great Tim Lincecum, loved by many male and female fans alike, young and old, being too shy to ask a measly fan out? Seriously, Timmy, who would ever turn you down? You're a national figure, people post YouTube videos with hearts everywhere, simply because they had a clip of you smiling. Your confidence level had to be through the roof!"

He chuckled. "Those are the overobsessive fans; you learn to stay away from those real quick." The mischievious twinkle in his eyes caused me to laugh aloud.

"But you," he continued on, "you were different, right from the start. I'm assuming you knew how tiny I was in high school?"

I nodded against his chest.

"Well, I also got turned down by every girl I ever really liked, and then some. When I first saw you, first heard you speak, I knew I was in trouble. My heart would start to race just because you were actually talking to me, not making fun of me, and not avoiding me."

I listened, awestruck at this sentimental tale. I could hear his heartbeat through his shirt, beating slightly erratically, just as he'd said. His fingers stroked up and down my spine as we continued to swing out on the balcony of Tim's, now our, Seattle penthouse apartment.

"Go on," I whispered.

He half-smiled down at me, green eyes soft in the moonlight.

"I knew I was doomed right from the start; I could only hope that I could get up the confidence to take you out, to remember my manners, everything my father had taught me, even as you walked by, swirling a gentle perfume that stunned me. And then, of course, your eyes. A beautiful chocolate brown that I could drown in forever - one that I'm very glad our sons inherited."

He smiled the proud smile of a doting father.

"I'm glad we had boys," I murmured. "When Lucy's born and they're all older, Gavin and Mark can beat up any guy, or girl, for that matter, that makes her cry."

He grinned, adding an extra sheen to his glittering emerald eyes. The dimples that abruptly creased his face were contagious, and I found myself grinning back.

"You know, I love your eyes," I murmured. He raised an eyebrow, indicating that it was my turn to talk.

"I loved them ever since I first saw them. Some press conference, I think, during that August where you struggled... You were pretty solemn-faced, and even without the smile, your eyes were the gorgeous green that I'd always dreamed of. And then, of course, your hair."

"My hair?" I pulled on it gently, nibbling his neck.

"Mmm. I've always loved guys with long hair, black hair especially. And with the green eyes... You were literally an embodiment of my dream prince." I sighed dreamily, and rested my head in the hollow of his shoulder.

His hand stroked through my now knee-length hair, pulling it over my shoulder so that it cascaded down my chest. With quick, able flicks, he deftly braided it, tugging off the little elastic tie I kept on my wrist to tie it off.

"My princess," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.

"My hero," I murmured back, closing my eyes to everything except him, sinking deeper into his scent.

"Forever."